Japan is the first country in Asia to open a NATO office

Japan is negotiating the opening of a NATO office in the country, the first of its kind in Asia.

Source. This was announced by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in an interview with CNN.

According to him, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the world less stable, and it has also forced Japan to rethink regional security. Hayashi did not give any other details about the alliance office and its possible location.

"What is happening in Eastern Europe is not limited to a problem for Eastern Europe alone, it directly affects the situation here in the Pacific. That is why cooperation between us in East Asia and NATO is becoming increasingly important," he added.

The minister also reminded that Japan is not a NATO member, but this step makes it clear that the bloc's partners in the Asia-Pacific region are very steadily interacting with NATO member states.

The Nikkei Asia newspaper was the first to report on the possible opening of a NATO office in Japan on May 3, citing unnamed Japanese and NATO officials. NATO has such liaison offices in other countries, including Ukraine. The office in Japan will allow discussions with the alliance's security partners, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, on geopolitical issues, new technologies, and cyber threats, Nikkei noted.

Background. On April 4, Finland officially joined NATO, becoming the 31st member of the alliance. As a result, the total length of Russia's land border with the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance has more than doubled.